Avengers: Infinity War Writers Hint at a Doctor Strange Appearance

Avengers: Infinity War is set to be a huge aggregation of Marvel superheroes, even bigger than the stuffed-to-the-gills Captain America: Civil War. Now, word is starting to trickle out about exactly which heroes will appear, and Infinity War writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely are dropping hints about an appearance from our most magical Marvel hero, Doctor Strange.

In a new interview with Collider (via Hitfix), McFeely heavily implied that Benedict Cumberbatch was part of the Infinity War cast:

"The scheduling has got to be a nightmare," he said of filming Infinity War. "You can't just say 'Benedict Cumberbatch' - or whoever - 'come to Atlanta for nine months.' You know. It can't work that way."

Of course, the script is still in development, so presumably the cast could change before it starts filming, but I would probably be more surprised if Doctor Strange didn't show up for Infinity War. It was a conscious decision to give his character a solo movie shortly before the group team-up, and I can't imagine that they would place him front-and-center only to leave him out of Infinity War entirely.

Other heroes that are more peripheral to the MCU are a bigger question mark, especially Guardians of the Galaxy, which essentially takes up its own corner of the universe. But judging from another interview from The Verge, Markus and McFeely plan to include them as well (or at least, Rocket Raccoon):

"Whether they're a 12-foot purple guy, or a raccoon, or an android, they're all people, and we're going to write them as people," Markus said of making Infinity War "grounded." "You can't write them any other way."

Again, none of this constitutes official confirmation that these characters will appear, but it's solid evidence, at the very least. The Avengers movies are first and foremost about the central team members, of course, but I can easily see offbeat characters like the Guardians appearing for a little comic relief.

Doctor Strange opens in theaters on November 4, while Avengers: Infinity War part 1 comes out on May 4, 2018 and part 2 is slated for May 3, 2019.